


A New Horizon

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5 Things, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-season 7, talking about feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 12:04:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15729048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: But there's something... different about this particular dream. Usually, he feels as weightless as one surrounded by nothing but stars and the beauty of the void would have to be. This time, he feels... comfortably grounded. Like he's right where he wants to be. He looks around to try and see why.He sees short moonlight hair, a defined humanoid shape akin to the most heavenly constellation, and two starlike eyes glowing ever so fondly at the rest hung up in the sky. He's relaxed in every way, lying right next to Keith. At first it seems like his floating arm is missing. Keith finds it quickly on the other side of his dream self, perched right where it usually is- resting with a hand on his shoulder.+5 times Shiro visits Keith in the hospital.





	A New Horizon

**Author's Note:**

> this started out as a little drabble, and then turned into This  
> -contains season 7 spoilers (obviously)-  
> Enjoy!

The first time he wakes up, Kolivan and Krolia are right at his bedside. Afternoon light filters through the standard hospital room. He starts to try sitting up, only to be met both by a very loud outcry from nearly every muscle in his body and his mother's gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Stay down," Kolivan's voice instructs him. "You went through quite a hard-fought battle. Your body still needs it's rest." His face is still stuck in its stoic mask, but his normally hard-toned voice betrays his true feelings. "It would be foolish to harm yourself further." It doesn't seem like much in the way of comfort, but it's far too easy to see between the lines and get the truth hidden underneath. Keith gives in and lies back down, but he is still restless in another aspect.

His memories of the past few days are hazy. Bits and pieces lie strewn about his cluttered mindscape, with countless blurry blurbs throughout. His mind flutters through thousands of questions to voice for a clearer picture. Most are pretty standard- 'how long have I been out?' 'Are all of the others okay?' 'Where are we?' 

But he doesn't say any of them. Instead, his voice carries the main concern he'd had as soon as he woke up.

"Where's Shiro?"

Krolia gives him a... strange look afterwards. It's a fond smile, yet there's knowledge privately glittering in her eyes. Almost like she's sharing an inside joke he's been excluded from. Like she obviously knows something he doesn't, and is watching him blunder about trying to figure it out. It doesn't last for very long, but it lingers in his mind long afterwards.

"He's giving a speech at the Galaxy Garrison," she tells him. "The battle was only a few days ago, but people around the world needed some inspiration. He stepped up to the job quite easily."

Keith can't help but let out an absentminded chuckle. "Yeah," he says. "He's good at that."

"Indeed," Kolivan is the one to respond. "It is... admirable." Four simple words have never spoken so highly of Shiro, and he doubts anything else so brief will ever come close to that level.

He wants to continue, get more information, but fate is not that permissive. A nurse comes in the room quiet as an idle breeze. She looks at the three with a sympathetic expression lined with barely hidden exhaustion. "Excuse me," she says anxiously. "Sorry to barge in, but it's time for Mr. Kogane's medication. I would love to let you all stay and chat more, especially after all you've done for Earth, but protocol says that I can't--"

Kolivan holds up a hand, and she pauses. "Say no more," He stands up from his seat, and her eyes flitter to the easily accessible blade in its sheath. An irrational fear momentarily crosses her expression. "Do not worry. You are just following your orders to help. We won't get in the way of that." It's easy to catch his slightly pointed look at a silently disappointed mother sitting at the foot of her son's bed with her hand still on his shoulder. "Right, Krolia?" It's not aggressive in the slightest, more of... a gentle nudge or prompt to leave. As gentle as Kolivan can manage.

Krolia hesitates to move, but reluctantly stands up. "Okay," she says to Kolivan. "Just... give me a second with him. I'll be out with you in a moment."

He only nods curtly. "Of course," he moved to the nearby door. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the doorknob, he turns back to give Keith one final look. "And Keith?"

Keith raises a curious brow. "Yeah?"

"Good job," are the only words he says before he leaves. If Keith didn't know any better, he would have sworn he saw a smile hint on Kolivan's lips. It's hard to imagine.

Krolia chuckles and takes a moment to look at him appreciatively. "He's proud of you," she tells Keith. "As am I. He just... doesn't know how to express it." She leans down towards him, and his eyes instinctually flutter shut to brace himself for the incoming lips on his forehead.

They don't quite go where he expected. Instead of on his forehead, his mother's lips hover over his ears. Soon it's filled with the sound of her hushed tones.

"By the way," she whispers. "Shiro was the one to contact us about your injuries." He opens his eyes to see the same strange expression on her face. "He's visited you at least once per day since you've been admitted here. He hasn't yet today," she smiles. "but something tells me he'll make his way over after his big speech." She quickly leaves her parting gift- the forehead kiss he'd been initially expecting- and leaves him with a lot of unexpected information.

Soon after he's given his medication, he drifts off to sleep staring out the window.

-

Judging from how close the sun is to where it was when he fell asleep, it's easy to guess Keith wasn't asleep for long. His attention is quickly caught by the sounds of his room's door shutting gently. His eyes drift to see who the culprit is, only to see a very surprised-looking Shiro.

"Oh," he says. "You're... You're really awake?"

He says it like a bewildered question, and Keith's sleep-addled and medicated mind can't help but find it both pretty funny and pretty cute. His lips quirk up into a groggy smile. "I'm pretty sure I am," he tries his best to joke and raises a brow. "Should I not be?"

"No," Shiro's quick to respond, with a quite obvious hint of bashfulness. "It's not that, it's just..." He rubs at the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. He looks down to the floor contemplatively and takes a moment to glance back at Keith with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "When was the first time you woke up?"

It's certainly a strange question, but after a moment of consideration, he doesn't really see any reason not to answer it. So he... does. "A little bit ago," he tells Shiro. "Krolia and Kolivan were here, and they told me about your speech to the world. I haven't seen or heard anything about it yet, but I'm sure you did a great job at it." He gives Shiro a proud smile. "You always do."

It's easy to notice how Shiro's eyebrows rise in surprise, then fall in bashfulness at the softly spoken compliment. He steps closer to Keith's side. "That's very kind of you," he says. His arm floats over to find solace where it usually does- with a strong and supportive hand on Keith's shoulder. "But I wouldn't have been able to give that speech if it wasn't for you." He says it with the seriousness of the dead. 

And just like that, the atmosphere of the room shifts.

Their smiles fall in an instant. Keith's disappears from pure awe as it truly clicks in his head how sincere Shiro is being. Shiro's shyness completely dissipates; he is determined to let Keith know the true weight of his own contributions.

"You fought long and hard," Shiro continues. "Through... _impossible_ odds to save Earth. With your team at your side, you prevailed. Things would probably be very different if you weren't involved. Remember that." His eyes flutter down from Keith's wide eyes, and his unoccupied hand drifts to tentatively embrace the closest of Keith's. "And... I'm glad you got to see the results." His voice quakes, and it's easy to figure out why.

Keith's not an idiot. He knows Takashi too well to be clueless about what's troubling him. He's seen the memorial.

"You were worried I wouldn't make it," Keith says as fact rather than a question. "Like..."

"Adam," Shiro guiltily finishes for him. His face falls to sorrow. "I..." He sighs. "Yeah. I was."

He knew it. He expected it, but a deep dark wave of sadness still washes over him.

"I-I'm sorry," he's quick to say. Though he avoids Shiro's gaze, he doesn't shy away from the hand in his. It's the smallest self-indulgence he can allow. "I shouldn't have brought it up. It was-"

"It's fine," Shiro interrupts, and Keith feels a new weight press down beside his legs. "We're at war. There was bound to be personal losses once it came home. It was... stupid of me to expect anything more."

Something about the way Shiro says that, the way he berates himself for having the audacity to hope for better, sparks a fire in Keith. One that quickly grows and roars in defiance against such hatred towards one who has never deserved anything the Universe throws at him. It's a quite familiar feeling by now, only intensified.

"Bullshit."

It catches Shiro off guard, judging from the surprise in his expression. "What?"

"That line of thinking," Keith clarifies. "It's bullshit. It's not stupid or... _wrong_ to hope for the best in a bad situation." As he speaks, his grip on Shiro's hand tightens with determination. As if touch would ingrain these lessons in Shiro's head instead of the self-hatred. 

"Plus, before you bring it up, there was no way you could have prevented it. If you had stayed with him instead of going to Kerberos, none of this would have happened." He continues before Shiro can try and spin it into a positive thing. "Which, yeah, would've been great for you two. But the Galra were bound to come here eventually. Without you, there would never have been any way to defend against it. No Voltron, no alien tech, nothing." 

He's almost done. Only one more point.

"Look at me. I need you to know this above anything else," Shiro obliges in stunned silence. Their eyes lock steadfast before Keith makes his briefest and most important point. "You are a hero, Takashi. So is he. Don't forget about him, but don't lock yourself in the past wondering what could have been." His eyes flutter down to their still connected hands. "It's a devil that's hard to get away from." He speaks with experience, but he would never openly admit it. Especially not now.

His eyes tentatively drag themselves to meet Shiro's again, only to see a fond smile on his face. His eyes are sunsets; they glow with admiration, illuminating Keith. It feels like a spotlight burning hot on his skin. The fire of determination fades away, leaving only an intense self-awareness. 

Finally he brings himself to ask, "What?"

Shiro doesn't hesitate to give him the truth once he's asked for it. "Nothing," he says softly. "It's just..." He looks down at their hands warmly. "Astonishing to see how much you've grown since we were last on Earth. You've definitely matured bounds since we first met."

"Well, duh," is the first response that comes to mind. "I was like 15 when we first met. Plus, I had one of the best influences with me for a good majority of it."

They share a mutual look, and both know who he means by that. It doesn't need to be said.

But Keith does say it, with a soft smile and a reassuring squeeze on Shiro's hand.

"You, Takashi Shirogane."

-

Shiro wakes to a hand softly shaking his shoulder. He lifts his head from the crook of his lone elbow resting on the foot of Keith's hospital bed. His back immediately lets him know how awful his sleeping position was. He groans and sits up from his hunched-over position before he bothers to look and see who woke him up tonight.

When he finally does, he sees the expectant face of Krolia.

"Had a good rest?" she asks hushedly, so Keith doesn't wake up. He was always a light sleeper. He's probably had to be. The thought stabs him with a twinge of sadness, but doesn't drag him from reality.

"Yeah," he answers with a whisper, as aware of Keith as his mother. He still seems fast asleep. Hopefully he'll stay that way. "Did you want to talk about something, or...?"

She leans against the wall casually, arms crossed in front of her. "You could say that," she says drily. "I haven't been able to ask you yet- does he remember the times he's woken up?"

Shiro sighs. He had a feeling such a question was coming. In the past week and a half since the battle, the two of them usually switched between who would stay in Keith's room in case he woke up. The nurses warned that such a drastic head injury would temporarily mess with his memory, but it only took the rest of the Paladins two days to get over that hurdle.

The first visit Keith remembered was two days ago. It definitely wasn't his first time waking up, though.

"No," he tells her. "The first one he told me about was with you and Kolivan."

"Ah," she says understandingly. "He did seem more... lucid that time." Her eyes narrow at him, her brow raising in cautious curiosity. "...Are you going to tell him?"

He scoffs with a hint of incredulity. It's a bit too loud. Both of them immediately pause as Keith shifts with a groggy groan, but his eyes don't open. He settles and stills back into the silent lull of sleep. The tension in the air drops considerably.

Still Shiro waits a few extra moments before continuing in a much quieter tone. "What is there to tell him?" he asks. "He was out of his mind, Krolia. I don't want to hold him to something he probably wouldn't be accountable for. Keith and I have a good friendship going, and..."

"...And you don't want to ruin it," she finishes for him. "Just because you think he wasn't telling the truth when he told you he loved you." There's an almost... accusatory edge to her voice. Like she was silently simmering at the idea that Shiro might be unintentionally calling her son a liar.

"Don't get me wrong," he clarifies. "I think he meant it, just..." He glances down at the sheets. "...Not in that way, at least. I'm like a brother to him, and..." He meets her gaze once again as he lies to her face. "I'm fine with that."

Krolia is completely silent for what feels like the longest moments of his entire life. She meticulously searches him with her eyes, seemingly scanning him for information. Looking for a crack in his stony expression. He tries his best to stay calm and unflinching. He can't tell whether or not it's working.

Finally, Krolia speaks again. "Shiro, would you mind if I told you something?"

"...Sure."

"Your intentions are noble," she admits. "But they're also total bullshit." Like mother like son, he supposes.

She continues, and he simply listens. "You're afraid," her voice softens again. "I understand. I know how it feels to lose someone you loved. Even if you had moved on from them long before they actually passed, it still hurts." She shoots him an empathetic look that goes right through him. "If you don't feel ready to move on into... something new, then that's fine. Take all the time you need. But let Keith know that much. Don't leave him hanging."

"...Thank you," he says. "And trust me, I want to, but... what if I'm misinterpreting this whole thing?" Self-doubt and uncertainty surrounds his mind, drowning out any usual rational thought and rushing to block his airways.

Krolia doesn't skip a beat. "Then you find that out from him," she gestured to Keith. "But if you want my opinion? I honestly doubt that's the case."

"What makes you think that?"

"I was alone with him for two years," she says frankly. "I got glimpses of the past and probable future. And with the way he talked about you?" She pauses for a moment. "Let's just say... if someone talked about their siblings the same way he would usually talk about you, I'd be _very_ concerned about their 'special' relationship."

He lets the information wash over him. It's a wave of purity, purging a good portion of the poisonous depths from his mind. He still doubts; he's still uncertain, but the words do help more than he thought they would. He allows himself a moment to admire the sight of Keith completely at peace in sleep's sweet embrace, bathed in moonlight's heavenly glow. It's a fitting look for him, part of Shiro thinks.

"I only have one more thing to ask you now, Shiro."

"Yeah?" He returns his gaze to find Krolia standing next to him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Take care of him." It's a command more than a question, but he doesn't feel like correcting her.

Shiro doesn't hesitate to answer. "...Of course," he smiles softly.

"Good," pride shines in her eyes. She starts to move away from him towards the door, but one simple word is enough to get her to stop in her tracks.

"Wait."

She turns back to glance at Shiro.

"Thank you," he says. "For caring so much about him."

Her brows raise, but she lets out a light chuckle. "You know," she gives him a wry smile. "I would say the same to you. I can tell he needed someone in his corner, and... I'm glad it was you." She stays smiling at him for a moment or two before she leaves the room.

Leaving the two of them completely alone.

His hand gravitates towards Keith's own. Maybe it's just his imagination, but he swears Keith's hand hesitates before unconsciously accepting Shiro's. It's been a long day, and there are many more ahead of them, but for now he's content with the serenity. A calm before the storm that's sure to come. He knows it can't last forever- he needs to sleep in his own bed- but he basks in it while he has it.

"I..." He finds himself speaking quietly before he even realizes it. "I know you can't hear me, but..." He shares a private smile towards Keith and lightly squeezes his hand. "I... love you too. I'm not sure how far it goes yet, but I know one thing. It's not as a brother." As soon as the words leave his lips, it feels like a weight he hadn't realized was there is lifted off his shoulders. It's far easier to breathe now, and he lets a wave of boldness carry him away.

He rides the sudden wave of courage as far as it will take him. His forehead lightly rests on Keith's, and stays there for a few moments before the two separate. He leaves an improvised parting gift- a soft kiss on Keith's cheek. Afterwards he quickly and quietly leaves the room before his mind has time to process and possibly regret what he's done.

Leaving Keith with quite a _lot_ of new information to process. Thankfully, he has time.

His eyes finally open. The hand that still bears Shiro's phantom touch rests to touch the spot where Shiro's lips graced his skin.

And with only the ever watchful moon outside his window as his only witness, Keith grins in private disbelief.

-

Keith is endlessly restless. How could he not be? It's been three days since that fateful night, and Shiro hasn't visited once. He's asked Krolia about it, but she only says he's busy. That he'll come over here as soon as he has free time. He just needs to wait it out.

He _hates_ waiting. Always has.

Usually he'd have something to bide his time. Working on his Lion or sparring in the training rooms were the easiest ways he'd both breeze through the hours and distract his wandering mind. Neither of which he could do right now. He still wasn't 'ready' to do much more than sit up in his bed and watch as time dragged on and on.

Maybe he wasn't physically ready, but he certainly was emotionally. He wanted nothing more than to march out of this boring prison of a room and confront Shiro his damn self. No matter what. As far as he cared right now, any Garrison business could stuff it. 

He yearned endlessly for answers to his questions. They'd stirred and multiplied in his mind with what felt like every passing moment. It reminded him far too much of being surrounded by nothing but the void of space on the way back to Earth, but even then he had his fellow Paladins and an able body. Right now, all he had for company was the same view outside his window and his lonesome self.

Yet judging from the familiar blue flash he spots in the corner of his eye, he can guess that's changed. He doesn't need to move his gaze to guess precisely who his newest visitor is. His suspicions are quickly confirmed by paws pressing down on his bed and the sudden new sensation of fluffy fur against his waiting fingers. His visitor climbs on his bed completely and drapes over his legs with a huff.

"Hey Kosmo," he says absentmindedly. He doesn't move his eyes away from his view, but he begins to pet his faithful companion's unbelievably soft fur. "Good to see you're okay, buddy."

Apparently that's not enough for Kosmo. He snorts, and starts deliberately bumping his extremely cold nose against Keith's cheek. It's a definitely intentional method of getting some desired attention. It's pretty hard to ignore, considering how much he repeats the motion.

Though kind of annoying, Keith can't find it in himself to be mad about it. He can't be mad at Kosmo in general, but it's also quite the welcome distraction. Exactly what he'd needed. So he smiles and gives in, tearing his eyes away from the window to focus all his attention where it's most deserved.

"Yeah, yeah," he relents with a lighthearted laugh. "I got you loud and clear, don't worry." Kosmo stops butting his nose against Keith's cheek, but something still feels... off somehow. Usually Kosmo would be giddy about the attention he's getting, but all he's doing is staring at Keith with his silently intelligent eyes.

Maybe it's just him projecting his feelings on his own cosmic wolf, but the look seems to tell him _I see right through you._ It's entirely possible, but instead he chooses to believe his companion is as smart and observant as he gives him credit for. So he sighs and gives in. He needs a chance to vent anyways. Might as well vent to the one who can't tell anyone else about what he says.

"I just... don't get it," he admits, sitting back against the wall. "It feels dumb, but I can't help but wonder if... if he's not really as busy as he seems." He shoots Kosmo a hopeful look. "You know what I mean?" All he gets in response is a tail wagging, and honestly? That's good enough for him right now. "Yeah, you totally do."

He lets out a sigh. "I know Shiro," he lets his thoughts run freely on his tongue. "Rationally, I know he's not the type of person to intentionally leave someone hanging like that. He probably didn't even know I heard him." It feels like he's arguing against his mind's knee-jerk assumptions of Shiro somehow. Defending him even when he's not here. "Shiro wouldn't just... _abandon me_ like that. Not after everything we've been through together. Not for something like this." Subconsciously he begins to hug Kosmo, holding him close like it'd ward off the paranoia and fear he'd thought he'd gotten over by now.

Guess not.

It doesn't help as much as he hoped it would. Forming tears start to sting his eyes. His chest feels like a tightening knot, tension rippling through and through. It's growing far too taut far too quickly. He's afraid of what'll happen when it snaps.

It's stupid, really. He knows this. He shouldn't be so worried over something so small, yet here he is. Sitting in a hospital room, nearly crying and holding his wolf like a port in the storm raging inside of him. All cause the guy he was madly in love with wasn't there.

It was Kerberos all over again. Only this time, Keith is older. He should know better than to worry over such trivial things.

'Should' being the key word here. Apparently he doesn't, because he's an absolute mess when it comes to loved ones leaving him like this. Shiro's not even dead or missing this time, he mentally berates himself. Stop being so damn selfish.

"Look at me," he scoffs at himself. "God, I'm so fucking _pathetic."_ He wipes his stupid tears away. "Can't say I blame Shiro right now."

In that moment, Kosmo stands up from his spot. Keith watches him stalk off of the bed and disappear completely without warning. Shock ripples and tears through him, leaving him entirely empty. It takes him a moment to process what just happened.

He doesn't cry this time. He only chuckles bitterly. "Can't say I blame you either."

The passing minutes are absolutely agonizing, but he manages to bring himself down from his attack. He's had experience helping calm people (read: Shiro) down from pretty bad anxiety attacks, but it's significantly harder to focus enough to gather the willpower to break your own mental chains. Thankfully, he's plenty patient.

He sinks down in the bed and let's his eyes shut. He needs a bit of quiet rest after something both so mentally and emotionally draining. It's boring, but it's calming. He needs that right now.

After what feels like his own little infinity spent in the hollows of his eyelids, he hears the same flash and smells the familiar ozone scent Kosmo usually gets when he teleports multiple times in a short amount of time. He scoffs. It's not bitter at all, more... playful. "Well well well," he says without cracking his eyes open. "Look who's back from his little stint around the Garrison."

However, he doesn't expect an actual response.

"...You're talking to Kosmo, right?"

He hasn't heard that voice in three days, but he would know it anywhere and anytime. Keith shoots up in his bed, his eyes now wide open. He stares at Shiro standing next to a self-satisfied Kosmo. He makes a quick mental note to find one of his favorite treats once he's out of the hospital for this.

"I was," he says. "But don't worry, you're not gonna be left out. We have plenty to talk about."

-

Keith barely slips into sleep. His mind is racing, too excited to be truly silenced. The only thing he can do is lower the volume of the cheering in his head. Even then, that's barely enough to calm him down enough to be lulled into willing unconsciousness.

Why is Keith so excited? It's simple.

He's cleared to go out tomorrow. No more plain hospital room, no more small hospital bed, no more bad hospital food, no more hospital in general. He'll finally be free from the clutches of boredom he's been trapped in for about three weeks now.

On top of that, he won't have to sit around waiting for the people he cares about to visit him anymore. He can (and will) seek them out whenever they're both free. Especially Takashi.

After quite a long and heart-baring conversation, the two had come to a conclusion. Shiro was still in mourning over Adam. He wasn't quite emotionally ready for a full and official relationship yet, which Keith understood wholeheartedly. Yet he made a point to let Keith know he wouldn't be opposed to a small and private one with him for now. It would give him time to move on and continue forward with someone special by his side, and the budding relationship between them would hopefully cultivate and bloom into something big and beautiful.

It was... unconventional, to say the least. But since when did either of their lives hold up to conventions? At least this unconventional event was good for both of them.

When he dreams, he sees a purple sky full of stars. They glitter and scintillate beautifully. It feels like billions of eyes are focused on him, but he isn't intimidated by their stares. They look upon him fondly. It isn't an uncommon dream for him to have. He had it less living in the Castle or sleeping in Black during their space road trip, but it still showed occasionally. He's always been in love with stars, even when he's nearly died surrounded only by them numerous times.

But there's something... different about this particular dream. Usually, he feels as weightless as one surrounded by nothing but stars and the beauty of the void would have to be. This time, he feels... comfortably grounded. Like he's right where he wants to be. He looks around to try and see why.

He sees short moonlight hair, a defined humanoid shape akin to the most heavenly constellation, and two starlike eyes glowing ever so fondly at the rest hung up in the sky. He's relaxed in every way, lying right next to Keith. At first it seems like his floating arm is missing. Keith finds it quickly on the other side of his dream self, perched right where it usually is- resting with a hand on his shoulder.

Confronted by such a sweet and simple moment, Keith can't help but smile to himself. He enjoys the fantasy as far as it'll last. He moves closer to dream Shiro, and privately hopes that this is a glimpse of the near future.

He wakes up perfectly content. His eyes automatically drift to the horizon outside his window, but his attention is quickly caught by something new in his room. Something that's been there before, but never on its own. The peculiarity catches him off guard. In a good way.

It's Shiro's prosthetic arm, hovering above the windowsill. And it's not unoccupied. The hand is curled as gently as a fist can possibly be, holding onto the stems of a carefully arranged bouquet of flowers. 

There are three rows and three types of flowers in the arrangement with each having their own row. At the bottom row lay a line of purple irises, filled with a bit of white on a few petals. Right above that was a slightly smaller row of red carnations, the bold color contrasting beautifully with the softness of the ones below them. The top row... wasn't really a row. It was a single white rose in full bloom. 

All the stems were tied together by a black ribbon, and from his bed he could see the folded note perched inbetween. He couldn't see the contents inside, but he could see the familiar clear and concise handwriting on the outer fold with just one word on it- _Keith._

He had no idea if the flowers were picked specifically or not. They were pretty all together, but knowing how much of a fucking dork Shiro was, he probably deliberately put them to express something. A message Keith couldn't really understand, but one he could appreciate nonetheless. 

Now onto the message he could actually read. Keith didn't hesitate to climb out of his bed alone for the first time in weeks. The tile floor is surprisingly cold against his formerly blanketed bare feet. His legs are slightly shaky without support, but he manages the few steps to the windowsill without a problem.

He plucks the little note out and folds it open to read. It's a short and simple message- an address in the Garrison's housing sector, and _'I'll be there by ten. See you soon.'_ It's signed off with his first name with a tiny heart instead of a dot in the i.

Keith can't help but smile fondly not only at the little detail, but also at the entire gesture. In retrospect, he shouldn't have been so surprised. Shiro was always a sucker for sappy stuff like this. Yet here he is.

He puts the note down next to him on the windowsill and gingerly takes the bouquet from Shiro's hand. It gives as soon as the flowers start to move, and Keith can't help but wonder if the prosthetic can feel what goes on. If Shiro can feel through it somehow.

Only one way to find out for sure.

Switching the bouquet to the opposite hand, Keith slips his hand into Shiro's slowly. Shiro's hand is easy to maneuver, and gets into the right position easily. But that's not enough to count as proof. He presses his hand flat against the palm and separates his fingers slightly. However, he doesn't intertwine their fingers.

He waits instead. He wants to see if he'll get a reaction of some kind. For a few moments, absolutely nothing happens. Keith keeps an eye out for movement of any kind that he didn't have to guide the hand into.

Then he feels a slight shift along the prosthetic palm. It only lasts a split second, but what it seems to cause is much more valid proof. The fingers twitch. They bend a bit experimentally, and then they move smoothly down. They fill the gaps between Keith's fingers, and Keith finally moves his own to mirror the motion. It's... surprisingly warm despite how cold the rest of the arm is.

He stands up to collect his things to leave, but he doesn't let go of the strange yet comforting embrace. He silently hopes that Takashi is as comforted by it as he is. No matter what boring meetings he was probably going through right now.

When he leaves, his steps are light with hope for a new beginning. For both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr: squishy--squish


End file.
